Progressive fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday, April 15, warned against what it called the “manipulation” of fish prices by private traders as retail costs soar during the Holy Week.

Demand for fish spikes during Holy Week, as many Filipinos observe fasting and abstain from meat as part of their faith.

Retail prices of fish have spiked by up to 30 percent, based on projections from the Department of Agriculture (DA), which attributed the surge to reduced supply and increased demand during Lent. 

But Pamalakaya claimed the sharp price hikes at markets are not reflective of what small fishers actually earn.

“Bagama’t mataas ang presyo ng isda sa palengke, hindi ibig sabihin nito ay mataas na rin ang kuha ng produkto sa mga mangingisda (Even though fish prices are high in the market, it doesn’t mean fishers are getting a high price for their catch),” Ronnel Arambulo, the Pamalakaya vice chairperson, said in a statement.

“Dahil nananatiling mga pribadong trader ang may kontrol sa presyo ng farm gate at retail (Private traders still control both the farmgate and retail prices),” he added.

Arambulo cited the price of blue crabs as an example, saying these are sold at P300 to P400 per kilo in markets, but are only bought at P100 to P140 per kilo from fishers in Manila Bay.

“Sa ganitong kalakaran ay parehong talo ang mangingisda at ordinaryong consumer (In this kind of setup, both fishers and ordinary consumers lose),” he stated.

Pamalakaya called on the DA and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to adopt a direct procurement scheme that would allow the government to buy agri-fishery products straight from local producers at fair farmgate prices. 

The group said such would eliminate multiple layers of middlemen who drive prices up while leaving fishers underpaid.